Printed in March 1862 (about the time it would take to get such a letter written in January), this poem was one of the last things ever written by Fitz-James O'Brien. It's full of Victorian sentiment, but it also uses that in a rather clever way. It also tells a pretty good story. O'Brien was wounded in a skirmish on February 26, 1862, and died of complications from his wounds on April 6, 1862.
Topics: Audiobook - Poetry, war
Source: Harper's New Monthly Magazine, March 1862